On July 12, 1971, Amtrak combined the James Whitcomb Riley and the George Washington into one train, now operating from Boston and Newport News to Chicago, with the James Whitcomb Riley name only used westbound. The Boston portion of the service was eventually truncated back to Washington, and the train's name became James Whitcomb Riley in both directions.

In 1974, the route through Indiana was switched because of a freight railroad's desire to downgrade their track; instead of Indianapolis, the James Whitcomb Riley now went from Cincinnati to Chicago through Muncie.